Who here has returned to school?

Has anyone here been a returning student? What was your motivation? How did it work for you? How long was the time until you "returned"? Are you glad you did? Or do you wish you could have?

I am not a returning student by my older brother was, he went back to school a few years ago (at 34 yrs old) and completed his Criminal Justice program, he is now employed as a Peace Officer at Westlock and enjoying every minute of it. His dream was to be part of the Calgary Police Service, but with more and more CE he does the more his Peace Officer Position allows him to do, and I think he might just stick as a peace officer and be home with his family a lot more.

Me, well I would love to return to school, I would love to go to Calgary to the Veterinary program, but with my young children it just isnt possible to go away to school.

Got my BSF (forestry) and worked for 5 years, then went back for a PhD in genetics. I've worked for universities and various agencies; for the past 17 years I've been freelance.

I tell my daughter, you were the best thing I ever did, but going back to school was the smartest thing I ever did.

It's given me flexibility around work hours and a high enough pay/hour that I could parent adequately, and now can work pretty much when I want, and choose my contracts. I enjoy my work, and work when I feel like it.

I think going back to school is great IF you have a goal and a plan.

Hidden River wrote:I am not a returning student by my older brother was, he went back to school a few years ago (at 34 yrs old) and completed his Criminal Justice program, he is now employed as a Peace Officer at Westlock and enjoying every minute of it. His dream was to be part of the Calgary Police Service, but with more and more CE he does the more his Peace Officer Position allows him to do, and I think he might just stick as a peace officer and be home with his family a lot more.

Me, well I would love to return to school, I would love to go to Calgary to the Veterinary program, but with my young children it just isnt possible to go away to school.

I dreamed one night that you had gone back to schoolto be a vet, HR, you were planning to drive to Calgary every day and I remember thinking (in my dream!) wow, thats a lot of driving, but if anyone could do it Jayme could!

ipf wrote:.

I tell my daughter, you were the best thing I ever did, but going back to school was the smartest thing I ever did. .

That is such a lovely AND smart thing to say to a child.

Not sure if this is your definition of school .......but I appliad for a Corrections Officer position and passed all of the requirements ( tests ) and went for nine weeks out of the ten required to graduate in training ........but the politics that I found out that were involved with the job made me decide that It wasn't worth it ! at 51 years of age I have had enough of politics in the work place and have decided that I am better off self employed ,don't think I'd go back again for schooling again ?

I went back to school when I was 27 to get my Special Education Certificate.

I went back at 53 years of age to take an Accounting Tech Diploma to go with the B Ed I got over 20 years before. For personal reasons I can't answer many of your question on a public forum. I did enjoy the courses and the experience. I took some additional courses and ended up a year short of a BBA.

I went back to school at the age of 40. Started my BA again as it had been many years since I started it and dropped out before I had finished. After a 4 year Psych degree, I got the bug, went to Waterloo (St Jeromes College) and took a couple of courses in Learning Disabilities (had a child with reading problems. Took a diploma in Addictions Counselling (the X husband had a problem), did a Masters in Mental Health Counselling. When we lived in Ontario, I couldn't get a job...when we moved to BC, I was able to get a Casual job in Mental Health. Three years later, I have a good job in a Psychiatric Mental Health Facility. It is not my dream job but I enjoy going to work every day and every day is different. Do I wish I hadn't spent 7 years in school? Heck no, I would go back and do it again, but in hind sight, I might do things a little differently.

I return to school. Day after day, week after week, month after month, YEAR AFTER YEAR! I just keep returning! Someone talk me out of this madness!

I return to school. Day after day, week after week, month after month, YEAR AFTER YEAR! I just keep returning! Someone talk me out of this madness!

I did just that between being the BEd student and the accounting student. Someone did talk me out of that madness, but I'm in"Klein"ed not to talk about that.

Thanks for the replies! It's interesting to hear other people's stories. Sometimes I wonder if going to university right out of high school is ideal. Maybe some were mature enough, but I know I sure wasn't. I had a full scholarship and was going to be a vet. I could have done it, but I was more interested in life than studying and just kind of floated along. I quit when I got married. Sigh... Oh well. I think the focus of a mature student is so much better. That and the fact that you really have to want it because life is so much busier! I guess I should have thought before asking others motivation because I can't really discuss mine here either. Funny thing, this journey called life.

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I haven't been back to school since I graduated. If I ever did, I would love to take Anthropology. It's been something that has always interested me. Not to long ago, it was suggested that I go back to school and when I mentioned my interested in anthropology, I was told that I would be better off to go into the health care where I could actually get a job. sigh....

uno wrote:I went back to school when I was 27 to get my Special Education Certificate.

Funny, I went back at 25 and got mine.

I went to Red Deer College. I had gone straight to University out of High School and found it wasn't what I wanted and came back home. Got a trade and ran my own business until I went back to RDC. I liked it much better when I went back. I hated High School, but that was probably because both my parent were teachers.

I found the other students a bit tough to deal with sometimes (I played on the basketball team as well, so lots of young ones there) but I found the schooling easier. I think because I had focus. The general studies stuff sure was not for me!! I think the thing that was toughest for me was that I was running a household at the same time I was going to school. I had a mature life and school so a bit of a split focus.
I have done a few more courses through the years to upgrade my book keeping skills (not something I really want to do, but fits in with my lifestyle) and have enjoyed them. I am not really a 'school' person even though like Sue I went back year after year for over 20 years!

My schooling was very little. I was shy 1 month to complete grade 4. Ony had a few months of grade 5 when I became ill and was out nearly a year. Then only a few months of grade 6th before I was done. Then when I was 18 I began taking some corespondence courses. I complete several grades in both Math and English. This proved to save my buns when in my 20s I decided to go back to school to get my high school dip. When I went to write the examine for adult admission, at first I was not going to be allowed to write it as I had never complete basic school. When I showed them my corespondence certificates showing that I completed 9th grade levels in Math and English, I was allowed to write the entrance. I did. I qualified and went back to school at 9th grade level. Did 2 years but when I finished found I was still short credits to get my dip. So I took more corespondence courses and after another year I got my Advance High School Dip. During that time, I did write entrance examines to get into post secondery. Was accepted to the school I wanted to go to, but then stuff happened and the biggest hurdle was the cost.

Still it was totally worth it just to get my high school dip. I felt that not having one did hold me back. It makes all the difference in getting work.

When I was in high school, I had no intention of going to post secondary like university. Maybe NAIT, I was deterred by the cost and "crap" courses you were forced to take in university.

I worked at several different types of jobs (easy to find work back then)and took post-secondary courses here and there to find my interests.

I went back to school 10 years after I graduated. I did upgrading of 2 highschool courses and took a new one. This time around I got high grades because I wanted to get into NAIT.

Education and the workforce change so much it is hard to forcast what you should do or want to do.

I finished my NAIT Biological Sciences (Lab and Research) and worked for a year and a half and had a baby and have not gone back. 12 years later, I am looking into a way that I can manage to get some university courses that will go with my NAIT training.

I am very glad I did go to NAIT after 10 years out of high school but really wish it did not take me that long to decide to do it.

Now there are programs that I would have loved to take when I was young but they were just in the construction stage and I was too inpatient to wait. The Uof A now has a Science 100 full-year program that is more like NAIT. All science and related courses and no fluff. What a great start if you are not sure what you want to focus on!

When I was in NAIT, there was a man that was 55. I still think about him and that gives me hope and a sense of "it is never too late". I will find a way and go back to school, I am 40 now.

Susan,

I have too by my story doesn't have an ending and has rather a few sad interruptions to the academic process. If you want to hear it feel free to email. You are doing very well at rentering school. don't forget to hatch a few chickies to keep you happy.